Living Large In Our Little House Thriving in a Tiny House with Six Dogs, a Husband and One Remote —

Time 2020-12-08 13:10:51

Web Name: Living Large In Our Little House Thriving in a Tiny House with Six Dogs, a Husband and One Remote —

WebSite: http://livinglargeinourlittlehouse.com

ID:127589

Keywords:

Thriving,House,in,

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It was a bittersweet week here at Our Little House. Our book, “Living Large in Our Little House: Thriving in 480-Square Feet with Six Dogs, a Husband and One Remote”was released in its paperback version. The paperback contains a memorial I wrote about Dale. Thanks to our community, it hit #1 new best seller for small house/cottage books. As I move forward, trying to figure out what my life will be without Dale, I’ve had to do a lot of purging, not just from my mind, but also from the house and studio. Later, I will work with some family members who are coming down to help me in the garages. After that, there will likely be an auction.Although we try to maintain as little clutter as possible, even when we have small homes, it seems to build up. It didn’t help that I brought many things of my mother’s. After her death in early 2007 and our move here shortly thereafter, I couldn’t bear to part with much of it. Now, 12 years later, I will be forced to not only deal with her things, but Dale’s. As I go through boxes and decide what to do with her furniture, it will be like opening the wound of her loss all over again.It’s hard, but this time, I’m choosing to deal with Dale’s things immediately. It is like I’m losing a piece of him each time I let one of his tools or even his beloved Little Giant Ladders, go. (Really, he loved those ladders!)However, age and many losses have finally taught me that our lost loved ones were not what they owned, those were only things that brought them joy while they were here.Theyare the love we still have for them in our hearts and the memories we carry in our minds.Last summer, after stumbling into a fan, I ended up in wound care. Dale took me faithfully each week for four weeks and helped me dress the wound. For the first two weeks, the doctor would numb my leg and scrape the “bad” scab off. They do that because not all scabbing is good, some harbors bacteria and can cause infection. Finally, on the third week, they announced I had “good” scabbing, the kind that would heal the wound.I compare the wounds in my heart to that wound I had on my leg. Allowing the clutter to sit here reminding me of the past and opening the wounds each time I see it is not good for my mental well-being.I’d rather do it now rather than later. My advice: Don’t wait until the wound of your loss has scarred over and you have to go digging through all the stuff again and reopen the wounds. Do it now, while the wound is still fresh.Then, I believe the scab will be able to form completely and eventually scar. That scar will be ever-present,but there won’t be so many physical memories to re-open it again and again years down the road.Have you had to deal with the stuff of a deceased loved one? Did you do it soon, or many months or even years later? Last fall, when our daughter, Steffi, came to visit, she only had one complaint about The Belle Writer Studio, there was no place to hang her clothes or her jacket. We’d not had any cold-weather visitors to Our Little House, so hadn’t really thought about it. (more ) My #YearofLight continues. I wrote back in Januaryhow I am keeping the Christmas lights up all year to symbolically help light my new path in this single life. I changed the lights out last week from Valentine’s Day pink to St. Patrick’s Day green. (more ) How many men do you know would agree to picking up a pit bull that has just been dumped on the side of the road while in the midst of a 300-mile move? That was Dale. He not only made no fuss about it, he held our Sweet Sade Sue in his lap the entire ride home. (more ) It is almost time to start raising funds for Dale Campbell’s Forever Pet Connection Memorial Fund, in memory of my late husband, who passed very suddenly and unexpectedly from a heart attack on November 20. The fund will benefit pets in foster care and sanctuary, at The Pet Connection, a non-profit rescue in the Kansas City area. We have a lot of money to raise, but I have no doubt our community will help. (more ) I’ve designated 2019 my #YearofLight at Our Little House. Yes, it means I will be keeping lights up on the deck all year long, but it is more than the physical lights, it is a metaphor for my life. (more ) Thank you all so much for the ideas you submitted last week for names for the memorial fund that will be set up to benefit The Pet Connection’s animal sanctuary. The fund will be established in my late husband’s name. (more ) For those of you on our Living Large Facebook page, you might already be aware there’s been a major and traumatic change at Our Little House. My husband, Dale, passed away on November 20, 2018  suddenly and quite unexpectedly from a massive heart attack. I am trying to build a lasting legacy for him through rescued animals and I hope you will help. (more ) The holidays are fast approaching and if you’re thinking of moving into a tiny home in the future, you might wonder where to put guests, especially during the holiday season. (more )

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